Receptacle for electrical connections



Oct. 12, 1954 E. A. JONAITIS RECEPTACLE FOR ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS Filed April 10, 1955 Patented Oct. 12, 1954 UNITED RECEPTACLE FOR ELECTRICAL- CONNECTIONS The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes Without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

rrhis invention relates to improvementsl in sockets for electrical-connector jack plugs, and more particularly pertains to receptacles of the character described for obtaining and retaining positive and full contact for a range of sizes of jack plugs.

Sockets for electrical connector jack plugs heretofore employed have been subject tomany disadvantages. They are prone to deformation upon engagement by the jack plug and tend to retain such deformation due to repeated insertion of the jack plug and misalignment in connecting the jack plug, thus preventing the maintenance of good electrical continuity and consequently permitting overheating, pitting of surfaces as a result of sparking, and inadequate gripping of the jack plug. They are not adapted for use with jack plugs of a range of sizes, and cannot be used efficiently with jack plugs of low dimensional tolerances or jack plugs having tips Worn by reason of long usage. In addition, they makeno provision for keeping jack-plug tips clean at the area of contact; f

The principal object of this invention is to provide a socket for electrical-connector jack plugs that is simple in construction, assembled facilely, and adapted to provide good electrical continuity for jack plugs of a range of sizes and of loW dimensional tolerances.

Another object is to provide a socket for a range of sizes of electrical-connector jack plugs that will secure such jack plugs firmly.

A further object is to provide a socket for electrical-connector jack plugs having means to Wipe the plug tip and thereby assure good continuity.

sec. 266) Fig. 1 showing the position Aof the elements thereof when a jack plughas been inserted; and Fig. -5 is a section taken on the line y5--5 of Fig. 1.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The body of the socket comprises a cylindrical cup l l made of rubber or other non-conducting material and al Sleeve '13, also made of 'rubber or other non-conducting material, threaded on the open end of said cup to form a housing. An integral tubular portion l5 and a -sleeve Il thereon, said sleeve having tool-clamp detents I9, extends from the base of cup H to provide a head for guiding the `jack plugZl to' be inserted, and an integralannulus 23l havinga plurality of bores 25 permits mountingof thesocket on a panel.` The base portion 2l' of the sleeve 13 seats a substantially conical element 29, made of a dielectric material and adapted to embed the conducting prongs hereinafter described and to secure the lead wires 3| passing through said element 29 in said prongs.

A conical jack-plug ground contact 33 is provided with flared lips 35, a plurality of slots 3l permitting distention of the lip portionv when the jack plug is inserted therethrough and providing gripping ofthe ground sleeve ofsaid jack plug (see Fig. 4), and a ring 39 collaring said ground contact 133 proximate the lip thereof to limit distention. The ground contact is seated upon a receptacle cup 4I, made of rubber or other non-conducting material. Said cup 4I carries a rst conducting prong 43 embedded in and extending below the base portion 45 of said cup. A second conducting prong has a leg 47 extending through a disc 49 of dielectric material that is seated in the bottom of cup 4|, an oiset portion El seated on said disc, and an upright pin portion 53 extending upwardly from the end of said offset portion on the axis of said cup 4I.

Conducting sleeve 55 is carried slidably on pin portion 53 and mounts contact disc 5l to provide a piston for said pin portion. The surface of a conical countersink 59 in said disc is broken by a plurality of radial flutes Gl and an annular insulating element 63 is secured on said disc to prevent contact thereof with the ground contact 33. Coil spring 65 seats against the stepped portion of the floor of cup 4I and against the nether face of disc 51 to retain the disc and sleeve assembly normally in the position shown in Fig. 1, with the sleeve `55 retracted partly from the pin portion 53. To complete the electrical circuit of the socket, a conductor 6l couples the ground contact 33 and the iirst conducting prong 43.

When the socket is assembled as described above and as shown in the drawing, partial insertion of a jack plug causes the tip of the plug to be seated upon the countersink 59 of the contact disc 51. Further insertion of the jack plug forces the disc I5'! and its sleeve 55 downward, compressing the spring 65 and pushing sleeve 55 over the pin portion 5,3. The jack plug is retained in fully inserted position by the gripping action of the ground contact l33, which couples electrically the conducting sleeve of the jack plug and the prong 43 through the: conductor 6T, while the force exerted by the spring maintains good electrical Contact between the tip of the jack plug and the conical seat of the disc 51, despite misalignment or substantial variations in the dimensional tolerances of the jack plug. In addition, rotation of the inserted jack plug provides a wiping action for the tip thereof by reason of the radial flutes 6l interrupting the surface of the said conical seat.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other- Wise than as specifically described.

I claim:

l. A socket for an electrical connector jack plug having a conducting sleeve and a conducting tip comprising a housing, a dielectric defining a cup secured in said housing, an electrically conductive conical element adapted to grip such sleeve seated on said cup and coupled electrically to a first lead prong embedded in the base of said cup, annular restraining means encircling said conical element to continuously bias said element into engagement with such sleeve, a conductivel pin erected on the interior base of said cup and coupled electrically to a second lead prong embedded in -said base, a conductive piston having a conical jack-plug tip seat and carried reciprocably in said cup, said pin entering said piston when the tip engages the seat and depresses said piston, and a coil spring carried in said cup tensioning said piston against such entry.

2. A socket for an electrical connector jack plug having a conducting sleeve and a conducting tip comprising a housing, a dielectric denning a cup mounted in said housing, an electrically conductive conical element having resilient wall sections adaptedto grip such sleeve seated on said cup and coupledelectrically to a first lead prong embedded in the base of said cup, a conductive pin erected on the interior base of said cup and coupled electrically to a second lead prong embedded in said base, a conductive piston having a radially fluted conical jack-plug tip seat in one face thereof and a sleeve portion extending from the other face thereof, said piston being carried reciprocably in said cup, means to insulate said piston from said conical element, and a coil spring carried in said cup tensioning said piston against travel towards the base of said cup, said pin and said piston being aligned axially and in partial engagement normally and in full engagement when said piston is depressed by such tip.

3`. A. socket for an electrical connector jack plug comprising a housing, a cup of electrically insulating material seated in said housing, resilient electrically conductive means continuously biased into gripping engagement with the sleeve of a jack plug seated Within said housing, said means being coupled electrically to a rst lead lprong embedded in the base of said cup, an electrically conductive pin erected on the interior base of said cup and coupled electrically to a second lead prong embedded in the base of said cup, a hollow electrically conductive piston mounted for reciprocal movement Within said cup, said pin being disposed in continuous sliding engagement with said piston, said engagement being increased when said piston is depressed by engagement with the tip of a jack plug inserted in said housing, and spring means Within said cup `arranged to bias said piston away from increased engagement with said pin.

References Cited in theV le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 965,733 Paiste July 26, 1910 1,553,148 Donahue Sept. 8, 1925 2,037,653 Fow Apr'. 14, 1936 

